The D.C. United and MLS communities took a hit on Wednesday morning when news broke that former player Shawn Kuykendall has passed away after a lengthy battle with thymic cancer. Kuykendall, 32, played for both D.C. United and New York during his career. The details of his fight with the disease and the legacy he leaves behind are best summed up in this piece by USA Today's Mike Foss, who was Kuykendall's best friend.

What must the experience be like for a young player arriving from a foreign country, with a different language and different customs? Kekuta Manneh knows better than most, but when the young Ghanaian arrived in Texas, he already spoke three languages, making his transition slightly easier. While there were other adjustments still to be made, Manneh notes that life was easy on the field as, he says, “Soccer only has one language.”